Fate of SS United States discussed

It’s practically impossible to not notice the SS United States sitting at Pier 82 on Penns Landing when driving by on Columbus Boulevard or coming into Philadelphia on the Walt Whitman Bridge.

But if the ship’s owner, the SS United States Conservancy, gets its way, it might not be there much longer. The Conservancy is in discussions to move the ship to New York City. The 990-foot retired passenger vessel has been docked in Philadelphia for 18 years. At one time, there were discussions to move the SS United States down the Delaware River to Harrah’s Philadelphia in Chester. But as has been the case other cities, that deal never came to fruition.

“Harrah’s was given consideration by the board and the Conservancy had been down there to meet with the folks who were interested in trying to work a deal and bring some money to the table,” said Conservancy adviser Tom Basile. “Unfortunately, the interested party was asked to provide the evidence of financing and also that if they wanted an exclusive option, that it would have a price tag.

“The interested party repeatedly failed to meet any of those commitments and there were other unanswered questions about the pier.”

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The Conservancy has apparently been getting the right answers from a developer in New York. Basile said that while complicated negotiations have been progressing, there are still some hurdles to clear. The earliest an agreement could be reached would be two or three months.

The ship takes between $50,000 and $60,000 a month to store, but the Conservancy knows it can’t keep doing that forever.

“Our primary goal is to prevent the ship from being scrapped,” Basile said. “Our biggest question is how do we keep it in the water? Regardless of where it goes, it’s going to be a phased development.”

Basile said there has been interest in the ship at various times over the last few years, but none have been as close at the current New York discussions.

“We’ve talked to folks in Miami, Boston and Philadelphia, and certainly New York is the furtherest along we have been,” Basile said. He also said that everything could change quickly.

“Nothing is set in stone anywhere,” he said. “Somebody could come to the table and say I want to show you how I want to use the ship and here are my qualifications to do this. If that happens, we would be happy to have discussions.”

The SS United States set a record that still stands on its maiden voyage in 1952 by crossing the Atlantic Ocean in three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes. The ship was retired in 1969 and carried four presidents, as well as celebrities Marilyn Monroe, Walter Cronkite, Duke Ellington and Grace Kelly.

“It is America’s flag ship,” Basile said. “It’s the only object in the U.S. named after our great nation. Nothing named after our great nation should be allowed to rust. That’s why we are working so hard to see that she is preserved and has a new life and a new purpose.”